Couple desires clean community, picks up street trash

Brandis Jest

Saturday

Jan 31, 2009 at 12:15 AM

For 12 years, John and Diane Aimone have been anti-litter advocates for their East Arlington neighborhood.They're not part of an adopt-the-road program or any mandated community service sentence. The Aimones, both 79, just want a clean community. So instead of being idle, they decided to take matters into their own hands ... literally.They pick up trash every Monday morning from Atlantic Boulevard to Girvin Road. They also cover a portion of Hodges Boulevard and Joeandy Road."I just don't understand why people throw trash out of their car," Diane said. So instead of complaining about it, they decided to just pick the trash up themselves.The Aimones, married for 45 years, moved to Jacksonville from Ontario, Calif., in 1988. As more people settled in the community, the volume of litter increased."We would go out and walk," John said. "That's when we realized the streets were getting so filthy."Equipped with nail-embedded sticks (created by a neighbor), plastic gloves and a wheel barrel, the Aimones set out around 7 a.m. on Mondays and collect close to 30 gallons' worth of trash.Bottles, clothes and hypodermic needles are just some of the many items that they have come across, along with wallets, driver's licenses and even Social Security cards, which they try to give back to the owners."It's amazing what people throw out the window," John said.Recyclables are placed in their bin at home, while clothes in good condition are washed and donated to Goodwill. The rest is placed in their garbage cans.Along with the grueling task comes comic relief. They've been mistaken for a homeless couple and even as quite the partyers. John recalled the recycling bin being filled with whiskey bottles once when their pastor's wife was visiting."The only thing I thought was, 'Oh my God. She saw the bottles!'" he said. The bottle-sighting was followed by a detailed explanation.Met with waves and the beeping of car horns while picking up trash, the biggest reward (besides a cleaner community) is a simple thank you, "and sometimes in the summer," Diane added, "a cold bottle of water is good, too!"Here's more good news:-- Jiffy Lube service centers in Jacksonville have announced their participation in the company's Maintenance Partners for Life campaign. Supporting the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women movement, the company aims to raise $1.5 million. Through March 16, customers can donate $3 to Go Red for Women. In return they will receive a Jiffy Lube savings book worth $100 in preventive car care. For more information about Go Red for Women, call toll-free (888) 694-3278.-- Marissa Thomas was crowned as the new 2009 Mrs. Jacksonville United States and will represent the city in the 2009 Mrs. Florida pageant in May. During her reign, Thomas will support breast cancer awareness for her platform. This is the first time Thomas has entered the pageant.-- Jacksonville-area Panera Bread bakery-cafes raised $3,981 in one day this week for Children's Home Society of Florida through customer donations and matching contributions of up to $250 per bakery. Chartered in 1902 in Jacksonville, the Children's Home Society of Florida works to stop child abuse, provide foster care and adoption programs. For more information on the society, visit www.chsfl.org.

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